This second entry in BCI/Navarre's Welcome to the Grindhouse series of double features contains a pair of European horror films from the days when the grindhouse was king. As with the previous entry in the series (The Teacher and Pick-Up, which I reviewed here), both features are surrounded by trailers for schlocky flicks from the Crown International library.

The first film, Black Candles, is a Spanish flick from 1982 that was released in its native Spain as Los Ritos sexuales del diablo. This one grabbed my attention as soon as I realized it was directed by Jose Larraz who was also responsible for Vampyres, a 1974 film that was one of the best entries in the early 70s lesbian vampire craze. Unfortunately, Black Candles doesn't (forgive me for this) hold a candle to the other Larraz film, with a meandering story that cribs from Rosemary's Baby and with sex scenes so frequent the story grinds to a halt every time one of the characters is in the mood.